Conventional enclosures for electronic circuitry take a variety of forms. One conventional enclosure includes a chassis, an inlet air vent and an exhaust air vent. Here, the vents are part of the chassis which defines an interior space, and electronic components such as a power supply, a fan assembly and electronic circuitry, reside within that interior space.
During operation, the power supply provides power to both the fan assembly and the electronic circuitry. As the electronic circuitry performs various electronic operations, the fan assembly moves air from an outside ambient location adjacent the inlet air vent, across the electronic circuitry, and discharges that air to an outside ambient location through the exhaust air vent. As the stream of air passes across the electronic circuitry, the air stream carries away heat thus enabling the electronic circuitry to operate within a controlled and well-suited operating temperature range.
Some inlet and exhaust air vents are configured to concurrently operate as both a passageway for air, as well as a shield against electromagnetic interference (EMI). For example, some manufacturers cut circular or hexagonal shaped holes into standard sheet metal stock to produce a substantially flat metal vent having holes which are large enough to allow air to pass therethrough, but small enough to substantially block the passage of high frequency electromagnetic radiation. The sides of the holes are typically straight (i.e., orthogonal to the plane of the vent) due to the manner in which the manufacturer cuts the holes (e.g., by drilling or stamping the sheet metal stock), and the depth of the holes is generally the same as the thickness of the standard sheet metal stock.